Social media was filled with videos of Muslims, elderly as well, bloodied, as they returned after trying to exercise their right to vote in Libberhedi village. As per locals, some BJP workers came and tried to create a ruckus, are were also violent when Muslims came to vote in the by elections that were taking place in Manglaur.
Videos that surfaced online showed Muslims being turned back from voting, some even injured, without having cast their votes, as per reports.
As per a report in India Today, the by-elections took place after the elected MLA from Bahujan Samaj Party, Sarwat Karim Ansari died last year. Manglaur is also a town with a significant population of Muslims. Manglaur will see competition between Congress’ Nizamuddin and BJP’s Kartar Singh Bhadana, as well as the late BSP’s son Ubedur Rehman.
Congress candidate Qazi Nizamuddin, who reportedly took the injured to the hospital, accused miscreants of openly firing, “Miscreants have been openly firing. This is the murder of Democracy. There is also news of someone being injured. There was no ambulance or any other measures taken to take the injured to hospital.”
VIDEO | Assembly bypoll: A clash broke out between two groups in Uttarakhand’s Manglaur.
“Miscreants have been openly firing. This is the murder of Democracy. There is also news of someone being injured. There was no ambulance or any other measures taken to take the injured to… pic.twitter.com/xAU3Qu2tGL
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) July 10, 2024
However, the police have reportedly denied shots being fired. In a video shared by Hate Detectors, the police can even be seen abusing and pushing around the elderly as well as young Muslims on camera.
This is how the police officers behaved with the #Muslims including women when they went to cast their votes during the bypolls in #Uttarakhand‘s #Manglaur. The police officer can be seen abusing and pushing around people. pic.twitter.com/QXwXpwM1H0
— Hate Detector 🔍 (@HateDetectors) July 11, 2024
This is not the first time, stories of alleged voter suppression against Muslims have turned up. In the 2024 General Assembly elections, scores of such stories came from across the country. One of which came from Sambhal, in Uttar Pradesh, where Muslims were beaten up at the poll booths as they went to cast their vote. Locals had alleged that the police itself had lathi charged Muslims who came to vote.
Similarly, on June 1st, a press release by Citizens’ Watch led initiative called Independent Election Observers (IEO) reported systemic exclusion of working-class and minority voters in Delhi’s sixth phase of elections and termed it as voter suppression. Some of the common complaints that happened a lot include missing and deleted voters from the electoral roll, with the Muslim community being those who were affected considerably. The IEO also observed that the Election Commission of India allegedly created this mis-governance to dissuade certain voters. It also cites examples of overcrowded polling booths in working-class and Muslim localities which made it difficult for voters to cast their ballots.
Related:
Displaced and denied the right to fish, Muslim fishermen in Gujarat now prevented from voting
Assam sees final day of polling after break-neck campaign unleashed by parties
YouTuber who campaigned with Rajasthan CM, Pawan Sahu uses slur against Hindu voters